Comments on: HP ENVY 15 Review

By: huggjo

huggjo — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:03:00 +0000

Hi, I’m looking a new laptop which has a good performance as I might be using 3d max and autocad almost everyday. Do you think this would suites me? Or is there another option with better specs and great price? Thanks

By: Bacrapmail

Bacrapmail — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:44:00 +0000

I am going to return my Envy and am looking at the Series 7. I found the HP touchpad to be horrible. While I have learned to live with it, I can live with the super loud fan and annoying bugle noise it makes every time I turn it on. Strangely it happens at 7am every morning whether ai like it or not.

By: Bacrapmail

Bacrapmail — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:44:00 +0000

By: China6k

China6k — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:54:00 +0000

Has anyone seen a color gamut analysis for the Envy 15 1080p screen? Everybody is concerned about red not being red, but what about overall color gamut, compared to e.g. sRGB / AdobeRGB? Too important not to know it… Searched with no luck, please post a link.

By: Tharaka Fernanado

Tharaka Fernanado — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Does the standard 1366×768 panel have any issues producing the red colour?

By: Alex Abbott

Alex Abbott — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:03:00 +0000

The proximity sensor for the illuminated keyboard is installed next to the screen. I think this adds thickness as my Radiance screen on the ENVY14 is much thinner by comparison.

By: Frankenbike

Frankenbike — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 04:57:00 +0000

This is why it’s great to have so many choices. The Series 7 screen is “good enough”, and it doesn’t strain me to work all day on it. If I was a student and it was also my TV and only source of media playing at home or the dorm, the screen and picture quality would be a much higher priority.

The touch panel also isn’t that important to me, because I always use a wireless mouse. What is important to me is CPU, followed GPU, followed by battery life and slimness.

Choice is good. That’s why I use Windows machines.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:59:00 +0000

same situation………..waiting to get hold of the envy 15 aswell………..but hp’s site only stocks the envy 17

By: Georgelancaster123

Georgelancaster123 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:37:00 +0000

Part about the IPS panel is true, but I’ve read a lot of reviews which complain about he poor quality of the touchpad. Some say it requires too much pressure to click and has bad palm-rejection drivers.

By: Georgelancaster123

Georgelancaster123 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:34:00 +0000

It’s a full HD IPS panel, which means it is much higher quality than the average TN panels you typically find on laptops. In other words, this is a desktop-quality screen fit into a laptop.

By: Don Williams

Don Williams — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Great machine. I have an HP running both Windows 7 and Ubuntu 11.10 (which I prefer) and I’m rather envious that I can’t afford to buy an Envy.

That said, I’m sorry, but that thing, as sexy as it is, looks like a rip-off of the MacBook Pro!

By: Mike Ivsin

Mike Ivsin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:58:00 +0000

Hi Michael,

If there is a feature you do not find on other machines — and in this case the drop DVD slot — could you consider a potentially positive implication other than saying it is “rare” ? What if the frame is much more rigid because of that?
When crying over the lack of Blue Ray player, would you consider movie downloading? I have a blue-ray player I did not use for over six months because I download all of my HD stuff. Last time I used a DVD was to make the backup/recovery disks for the PC. Thinking about user needs is what you do or want to do. I don’t think any manufacturer wants to “chase the Apple” products because they see it as a people segment where they can do better than Apple. I’d bet all branded manufacturers want to bring their strengths into their products rather than play the wannabe game.Mike I.

By: Lance Williams

Lance Williams — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:26:00 +0000

Thanks for the update. 1.5 hours extra isn’t bad.

By: Ronh95

Ronh95 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:23:00 +0000

I hate to say it, but the ‘orange-reds’ issue is real. My E15 w/FHD IPS screen looks very orange, but output via HDMI is right on so it appear so the LG supplied panel itself. Since I plan to use it for editing in Photoshop, it’s troubling. During normal use, the display is beautiful, the red issue is not apparent. It is crisp, bright, wonderful.

By: Colesdav

Colesdav — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:48:00 +0000

Great review, thanks! I live in the U.K. and I cannot get the new HP Envy 15 over here.

Do you know if it will be sold in the U.K. (England).?
I currently own an HP Envy 15 1060ea {1st gen mode)l, which has been the best laptop I have ever owned, only downside on it is battery life w/o additional slice battery is approx 2 hours ;-(.

I have just seen the new HP envy 17 in a local PC store over here and I am thinking of buying, but no reviews yet.

- Any chance you can review the new HP envy 17? & could you please ask HP why U.K. consumers cannot order customized versions of the HP Envy 17 and pay to have them shipped over to the U.K?

For example I would like an HP envy 17 with full HD screen & built in SSD & higher perfrormance processor, but I cannot get hold of it here in the U.K.

Thanks!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:34:00 +0000

Get used to the fan running loud. I tried compressed air on the back vents and fan to clear dust, which helped temporarily. Otherwise, it sounds like a plane taking off half the time. And no blu-ray option is crap. So close…

By: Rahul

Rahul — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:57:00 +0000

I got Hp Envy today. I dont know if its generic issue or not. Fan is little loud even if no application is running and right side of trackpad gets little hot.

By: Michael Crider

Michael Crider — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:20:00 +0000

Results posted. Thanks for your feedback.

By: Mike Echougaov

Mike Echougaov — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:38:00 +0000

Why can’t HP make screen lids thinner? Its LED-backlit, why the hack is it so chunky? Just make damn thing flat!

By: Brutus

Brutus — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:18:00 +0000

One thing I was wondering about was the palm rest, I tried out the MBP and Samsung equivalent and found that they cut into my wrist, from looking at these pictures it appears they have thankfully rounded off the edges, what are your thoughts?…I have on order a 17 just because it offered BR, too bad it got pushed back to next week.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:08:00 +0000

I think the reviewer said he forced the graphics card always on…that probably contributed to lower numbers. The AMD graphics card on my Envy only starts up with certain applications that require it. Though some applications defaulted to the intel graphics even though they needed the AMD but the software allows you to chose what applications require the dedicated graphics. I see 3 hours of use on full graphics applications and about 5-6hrs of web/documentation use

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:01:00 +0000

If the MBP was only $250 more, it may be worth it. Given that a similar prices MBP is around $2000 though, I think the Envy is a relative deal. As an Envy 14 owner, keep in mind the 2 finger gestures and trackpad are not up to apple standards and the device is slightly thicker, but overall, it gives the MBP competition for HUNDREDS less.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:58:00 +0000

What laptop has this power, 1080p, and is thinner other than the $700 more expensive MBP.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:17:00 +0000

Too thick.

By: Winston Churchill Kid

Winston Churchill Kid — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:06:00 +0000

I have the Envy 17 3D!! It’s stunning.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:46:00 +0000

Maybe, but consider that you’re talking about an IPS HD display, not just an ordinary TN panel as found on the Series 7. Plus do consider that the Series 7′s touchpad still needs a lot of work, something HP did a better job at completing on the Envy 15.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:45:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I’m an owner of a 1st generation Envy 14, so take my advice with a grain of salt if you wish.

Look at your budget. Ask yourself what you need specwise. Then configure an Envy 15 with a coupon (visit notebookreview forums and ask them for one, should be some lying around) and compare it with a Macbook Pro 15. What you may find is the Envy 15 on a per dollar basis offers better hardware, and if my Envy 14′s non-IPS display is anything to go off, the Envy 15′s 1920x1080P is probably going to be better even than the MBP’s.

Of course, you need to consider other factors such as whether you’ll need OSX to run specific software. Also consider whether you’re ok using an inferior trackpad as found on the Envy 15 or the lower battery life.

By: Miranda

Miranda — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:10:00 +0000

So besides the minimal battery life would you recommend this laptop for someone who is beginning video editing? Or would you say to pay the extra money and get a 15 ” macbook pro?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:59:00 +0000

Oh? I’ve never used the AMD switchable capabilities myself. I’ve only ever used the nVidia Optimus so I wasn’t sure how the switchable drivers worked for the AMD’s graphics card.

By: Michael Crider

Michael Crider — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:15:00 +0000

I didn’t see any switch in any of the software settings, so I jumped into BIOS and switched the graphics from Dynamic to Fixed. Under Dynamic it should have used the Radeon graphics only when necessary. Under Fixed it asks every time I remove the power jack. I’ll run a new test tonight to see if there’s an impact.

By: Lance Williams

Lance Williams — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:50:00 +0000

Edit – Please let us know the results.

By: Frankenbike

Frankenbike — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Other than the optional HD screen, it seems like the Samsung Series 7 15 inch kicks the crap out of this latest Envy. With the Radeon graphics in high performance, I spent over 6 1/2 hours with it on battery power (because the power part of the cord came out of the power block and I didn’t know it) working on Autodesk Maya. I’m also using a second monitor.

Also, lack of a number pad is an abomination on anything over 14″.

My Series 7 is also under 1″ thick. I will say that a year ago, this Envy would have kicked serious ass.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:21:00 +0000

When you tested the battery, did you use the AMD graphics card, or the Intel HD3000? Because even if you set the battery level to Power Savings, it won’t do it. AMD’s switchable graphics drivers aren’t nearly as seamless and well implemented as nVidia Optimus, however you can manually switch between AMD Graphics and Intel graphics.

You should make sure you’re using the Intel graphics and re-do your battery life. I guarantee you should get something like 5-6 hours. I’m running a laptop with nVidia switchable Optimus graphics and with the GPU enabled, I get about 4 hours, just like you. With it off and the Intel graphics enabled? I get over 6 hours.

By: Michael Crider

Michael Crider — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:00:00 +0000

I was a little surprised myself. I ran a standard test twice with Chrome browsing and some light background IM apps, and the results were 3:37 and 3:42. Like I said, you can probably get considerably more with some aggressive power management, but that really shouldn’t be necessary on a laptop as large as this one.

It’s always possible that our review unit has a dud battery, but I’ve got nothing to test it against.

By: Michael Crider

Michael Crider — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +0000

I haven’t experienced that at all. The colors on the screen in my photos are a little washed out because of the lighting setup I use, but the reds look fine to my naked eye.

By: Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:46:00 +0000

Surprised the review makes no mention of the display’s inability to produce the color red with any accuracy. Even in the gallery the circles look orange (rather than red) & blue

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:42:00 +0000

Is battery life that bad? I read somewhere they were getting easily 7 hours of use and they weren’t doing a bunch of strange things to it…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Battery life is kind of a let down